>> right now, more americans are finding work. november job numbers are in, and the news is good. you're going to hear why the unemployment rate is so significant and what it says about the strength of the u.s. economic recovery. also right now, a treacherous storm is leaving a huge a huge section of the united states under a thick coat of ice. states of emergency are in effect from the texas to tennessee. other states are getting hit with heavy snow and bone-chilling temperatures. we'll take you to the storm zone. and right now, crowds are gathered outside nelson mandela's home in south africa. the country and the world are remembering him for his courage, his strength and his dignity. we're going live to south africa and we'll also speak with the former secretary of state, colin powell.

>> the hello, i'm wolf blitzer in washington. big news for the u.s. economy today. hiring is up. unemployment is down. the jobs numbers for november were released this morning and they're much stronger than many analysts had been expecting. take a look. the economy added 203,000 jobs last month. that's 20,000 more than many of those economists had predicted. another surprise, the unemployment rate fell to 7% from the 7.3% a month earlier. that happens to be a five-year local and a real sign the economic recovery may be gaining some momentum. our christine romans is in new york watching all of these numbers for us. how significant are they, christine? >> it's significant, wolf. now you've got a trend in place for the year, you've got more than 2 million jobs on track to be created the best since 2005. it has been pretty in israble since the recession and the bubble burst and to say you're going to have jobs growth, on track for jobs growth, the best

since 2005 is significant. you want it see these numbers, 200,000 a month and more and want to see it continue. the unemployment rate going down to 7%, wolf, the white house acknowledges that one of the big reasons, the big reason why it went down to 7% is because people newly unemployed were having an easier time finding a job. the long-term unemployed still having a problem. the underemployed, the real unemployment rate, 13.2%, people out of work, want to be working full-time, some of them want to working full-time but they aren't. here's the really good news. i saw gains in transportation, warehousing, retail leisure, but also in manufacturing. best manufacturing job growth we've seen in a very long time. and that trend has been pretty good. it's all about the trends always, right? you've seen these trends where you've seen slowly building is confidence. ed add into this car sales earlier this week were good. gdp with a few caveats was good. new home sales was good.

this gives the fed ammunition to start talking about the taper, taking off the training wheels of the american economy sometime next year. >> that would discourage investors. christine, thanks very much. wall street is welcoming the positive jobs report. the s&p 500, the dow, nasdaq all bounced back today into positive territory after four days of losses. the dow jones industrials you see up 178 points right now. so we're seeing stock gains, jobs gains, a recovering economy, a decline in the unemployment rate. let's discuss what's going on with the president of the policy group american action forum. good republican economist. right? >> yes. >> you must be thrilled that the economy seems to be turning around. are you thrilled about that? >> you should be happy. this is the first time we've had a report that that had the unemployment rate come down for the right reason, not people giving up but instead finding jobs. we saw hours and wages go up. part time work went down.

it was the breadth of the strength that made this such a good report. we hope we will see month after month of this. >> who deserves the credit for this? there is a president of the united states who has been saying, you know, trust me on the economy. >> give me six months of this and we'll start handing out gold stars. we're not out of the woods yet. a couple quarters of good growth and went back into a and swoon? >> 3.6% in the last quarter, that's pretty good. >> there's caveats. half of that was inventory growth. if it was just goods on shelves, it's not a good report. >> 200,000 jobs a month for the next few months, that will be encouraging? >> it would be encouraging. here are the two things to worry about still. economists are good at finding the dark cloud for a silver lining. number one, even at this pace, it's another 19 months till we get the unemployment rate down to 6%. we have a lot of ground to make up. the long-term unemployed, that's a tough problem. we're getting people back 0 work

quickly but long-term unemployed have trouble finding work. >> it's it's lower than 9% but it should be 6, 5, 4, that would be a lot better. 200,000 jobs is good. the last few months we've been seeing positive jobs. it's been going on. take a look at wall street. they are thrilled right now but what's going on. when president bush took office, the dow jones was about 7,000. now it's 16,000. that's pretty impressive. >> that's very impressive. i'm not one who tracks dow daily as eight caer of the economy. >> if you're an envester, people are making money. >> here's the thing, if the fed now starts to taper this policy, investors shouldn't be scared. they're tapering for the right reason. the real economy, that which will give them dividends and capital gains is getting better. they should welcome that, not fear it. >> at the beginning of the year when the taxes went up on the wealthy, the republicans were saying this is going to undermine the overall growth of the u.s. economy because these are the job creators that you're

taxing more. that hasn't necessarilily worked out like that so far. >> you capital applaud what we got through the first nine months of this year. we're seeing some strength. i don't think that move helped overall growth. did he it will for other reasons, fairness in taxation. i understand that. the thing weigh need to look for is whether the jobs we're now getting will come from new businesses. historically, new job growth comes from new business escreation. can we see that change, great. >> give me your forecast for 2014. >> i still think we're seeing modest growth, ramping up from 2% to something like 2.4, maybe 2.6. i would like to see us at 3.5. >> 3.6 is pretty impressive. >> we like the sound of 2.6. >> i'd like to see 5 or 6%. douglas aikin, thanks very much for coming in. always good to have you here at cnn. today people in south africa

and around the world are plourning an iconic leader who went to prison, became a prisoner and then he became president of his country. we're learning new details about funeral plans for the former south african president nelson mandela. he will be buried a week from sunday and his body will lie? state in pretoria for three days next week. arwa damon is outs mide of pan della's house. people are celebrating the his life right now. >> reporter: they are. i mean, this is a nation in mourning but at the same time at least on this day, and this is just the first day where people are trying to grapple with their emotions, it's really into something of celebrating the man that he was and remembering exactly what it was that he had done to transform this country. when you think about it, for example, one college student who we met, a young black college

student was telling us that his parents weren't able to go to school. his parents wouldn't even be able to come to this very neighborhood. and yet, he all of a sudden had these opportunities in his life because nelson mandela. it's been quite interesting here, too. a lot of families have been showing up. a lot of parents with very young children, too small to fully grasp what is happening but at the same time, at least one mother we spoke to felt that it was important to have her children be here. >> big event. i mean it's the passing of someone, an icon in our land. i want my children to be notice moment to see this is not going to happen again and they must be aware of how south africa comes together on these things. i wanted them to experience such an iconic moment that it shouldn't it be like where were you on the day where he found out. it should be that you were here with people, you know?

>> a lot of people also, wolf, have been really talking about a lot of people, wolf, have been talking about how important nelson mandela's own decision process, his own evolution was and transforming him to be the individual that he ended up being. the fact that when he emerged from prison, he chose to reconcile rather than seek revenge. people saying this country could have easily turned into an iraq or syria. the fact that he was able to pull together all of the peoples of this diverse nation, a diversity reflected in the crowds behind us right now the. and a lot of people also saying that they felt a certain measure of joy and relief when they heard about his passing simply because finally, in the words of a number of individuals we spoke to, he was going to be able to meet his ancestors and rest in peace, wolf. >> i understand we're getting

some more details on funeral arrangements, the funeral plans for nelson mandela. what are you learning, arwa? >> well, at this spaj, what we do know is that in his final moments, he would have been surrounded by family members and by tribal elders, as well. the funeral arrangements, everything happening surrounding it, very much a blend of tribal traditional culture, western cultures, as well. his body will not be displayed for the first five days. that is going to be taking place on the 10th of december, and during that initial process where he is in a mortuary, he will continue to be surrounded by tribal elders who will be talking to him, talking to the ancestors to facilitate the passage of his spirit from this world onto the next. there is then going to be a public memorial in. the soccer stadium where the world cup was played back in 2010. that is in fact, where nelson

mandela made his last public appearance. eventually, he will be laid to rest in his hometown, his ancestral hometown. a lot of dignititories expected to arrive quite naturally to include president obama himself, as well, wolf. >> he and the family will be heading over there will the first lady of course, as well. thanks so much, arwa, for that report. remembering the life and the wisdom nelson mandela. my interview with the former president, bill clinton, he'll reflect on any son mandela, his friend. the lessons he personally learned from him. my interview with former president bill clinton on any son mandela, 5:00 p.m. eastern in "the situation room". other news we're following including ice, lots of it falling on roads in about a dozen states right now. we're going to show you who's in the bulls eye of this brutal storm right after the break. too big.

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cortizone-10 has the strongest nonprescription itch medicine plus moisturizers to help heal skin fast. cortizone-10. feel the heal. temperatures is a triple weather threat that's affecting millions of people across the u.s. the ice, that's coating roads and power lines in the south right now, is especially dangerous. take a look at the frozen tower camera in dallas right now. roads have turned into ice risks there. shutting down entire portions of the city. now that sleet is moving east. indra petersonss has more. >> a potentially catastrophic size storm blanketed the nation's as midsection over night. >> this is the sixth i'm i've had to stop. >> large scale power outtages

forced oklahoma, and tennessee officials to declare a state of emergency. east arkansas frozen by unto an inch of ice and wet snow leaving many without power. an outage officials say could last up to a week. temperatures are expected to stay below freezing for many days. this icy mixture caused multiple rollovers in arkansas, including this seven-car pile-up in washington county. and in oklahoma, the driver of this truck lost control on an icy bridge and plummeted into a lake. >> it's real slick. if you got to stop, you slide and try to get up the hill and couldn't make it up the hill. the best thing to do is stay home today. >> reporter: in illinois, vehicles slide right off the highways as accumulation of sleet and ice reached as high as a quarter inch in many southern keep thes. in the sky, hundreds of flights canceled thursday and more expected for friday as the storm warnings spanned from texas to

eastern ohio. it could be the worst ice storm to hit the region since 1994 which caused off $3 billion in damage. and it's not just the ice, the national weather service says this massive arctic air mass is dropping temps 10 to 30 degrees below normal. leaving millions of people to battle a dangerously bitter cold into the weekend. >> joining us live now from a very cold and icy memphis, tennessee. indra, is the city starting to shut down? >> you know, wolf, just in the last hour or so, we've been seeing freezing rain starting to come down in the memphis area. the mayor has declared a state of emergency and shut down all operations not related to public safety starting just a few minutes ago because we know just on the borderline all morning long of just barely above freezing and just now we're starting to see the freezing rain coming down. we have several hours to go. we could potentially see over

half an inch. that means outages could be likely here, wolf. >> is there another wave sort of behind what we're seeing now? >> reporter: that's actually the biggest concern. we will know we have the threat for power outages. when you talk about a half inch of rain or ice on the lines, you can talk about them going down for several days and the temperatures are going well below freezing. many places here below average. things taper off in through tonight but then as we go in through tomorrow, another wave. a system almost identical to this one is expected to push on through. we're hoping people can hang onto the power in in area. the thought of no power and freezing temperatures never a good combination, wolf. >> i assume i have to be a little worried living in washington, d.c. eventually it's going to make its way towards the eastern seaboard, right? >> that's exactly right. thamt same wave you were just talking about will make its way. there's potential for half an inch of ice out towards d.c. from the second system. this is a powerful system

affecting the entire system before all is said and done. >> al politics being local, that's why i was interested in what you had to say about washington. dallas, is now in a deep freeze itself. and this video is just terrifying. watch as this plane filled with passengers tries to land at birmingham international airport in britain. gale force winds bat area the plane as the pilot attempted to touch down. finally peeling back up into the sky. winds as high as 80 miles an hour were blowing. the flight from dubai was diverted to another airport. everyone was just fine. nelson mandela is being compared to great leaders from george washington to gandhi. we'll speaking with colin powell about his personal memories of spending some time with nelson mandela over the years. farmer: hello, i'm an idaho potato farmer.

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leaders here in the united states and around the world are paying tribute to any son mandella, the form are secretary of state and former first lady hillary clinton describes mandela as a champion for justice and human dignity. in a speech just a little while ago, she spoking about mandela's legacy. >> he will be certainly remembered for the way he led, his dignity, his extraordinary understanding, not just of how to bring democracy and freedom

to his beloved south africa, but how important it was that he first brought freedom to himself. >> at 5:00 p.m. eastern, i'll bring you my interview with the former president bill clinton. he will reflect on any son mandella, the lessons he learned from the leader. 5:00 p.m. eastern here in "the situation room." it's a remarkable -- it's remarkable how nelson mandela touched so many lives around the world. the former secretary of state colin powell was in south africa at the swearing in ceremony when mandela was inaugurated in 1994 as the first black president of the countries. general powell is joining us on phone right now. general powell, thanks very much for coming in and helping us appreciate nelson mandela. what did he mean to you? >> he meant a great deal to me, wolf. he was an inspiration and what i

so admired about madiba is that he had a purpose in life. he had a vision in life. that will simple vision and purpose combined was to free the people of south africa from the yoke of apartheid governance. when he succeeded in doing that, he not only freed black people, he freed white people the burden they were caring trying to impoesz this evil will on all the population, but especially the black population. he was an inspiration to me and to most people in the world as somebody who not only believed in something but was prepared to go to jail for 27 years to, lose his family and as he said more than once, to give up his life if that's what it took. you don't see that kind of person around very often. he's sort of a once in a lifetime experience to me. and as you noted, he was at his inauguration, and it was amazing to stand there in may of 1994 and see the crowds swell and

leaders from all over the world and tens of thousands of south africans in the park below us and then finally when he was announced to see the four generals of the south african defense force escort him up as a guard of honor, i said look what i've lived to see. these owners of the power of the state pledging their allegiance and providing a guard of honor to their new president who happens to be black. a peaceful transfer of power. and then at that very first moment of the inauguration, he started to show what he was going to do with respect to reconciliation by having his jailers in the front row and as he said so often, i will not secretory because because if i did that, my mind would still be in prison. so he's gone physically but his presence will be with us in generations to come. >> you were a national security advisor to a president, charp of the joint chiefs of staff.

secretary of state. attending that inauguration nelson mandela in south africa in 1994, where does that rank among the thrills of your career? >> one of the top. i mean i was retired then. i was just a retired gi and i was privileged to be invited by president clinton and haven't gore and then first lady clinton to be part of the delegation and it rated at one of the top events of my life to see that, to be in front of the union hall of this building where the smoeb was held with leaders from all over the world, some of whom who been my enemies, some of whom had been against the united states, some of them had the worst feelings but the united states but they had supported mandelaen an they were all there, and i had to be a part of that scene. and what mandela said to us very often as we sometimes expressed some disapproval of the kinds of company he kept, he simply said they were with me when i needed them and i will not move away

from them now. i will remember their loyalty and commitment to my cause. that's the kind of person he was. he reached across borders. he reached across cas xs and ideological differences always keeping in mind why he was doing it, to free south africa from the burden of apartheid. >> how awkward was that for you when he you had the leaders of iran or libya, gadhafi or fidel castro attending, as well? >> they were there. i made my manners. i was there as a retired official.revelled in the moment. on this day, we were all there for one reason, to celebrate the inauguration of this remarkable man who was able to bridge differences. a man who started out to do it nonviolently. he had to use violence he felt as he went along but at the end of the day, came backing to a

simple expression of love and reconciliation. one of his most important achievements was after he came out of prison and after he became president, there were still some people within the african national congress and other black groups that wanted to secretory bugs against those who is had imprisoned him and held him down all those years. it was mandela to stood up to the black side now and said if we do that, we're creating a new kind of apartheid. we are now one people, black and white, africaners and indians all one people. and that's how he led the country and that's how he turned the country over. are they finished with all of their challenges and problems? of course, not. they've got a long way to go economically and without other ways. but without him, i don't know where they would be. i was reflecting earlier this morning if only abraham lincoln had lived longer, maybe he could

have been a mandela-like person in the united states of america. we won't have gone through the terrible period of reconstruction and the imposition of a form of slavery on the american black population. >> colin powell, general powell, thank you so much for reflecting on any son mandela on then important day. appreciate it very much. >> thanks, wolf. bye-bye. >> thank you. we're going to continue our coverage nelson mandela. take a closer look how he viewed israel and the middle east. the messages of peace coming in from south african leaders all over the world. there is reaction, including the former israeli prime minister ehud barak. there you see him with nelson mandela. ehud barak is here with us, we'll talk about any son mandela and more when we come back. [ female announcer ] we give you relief from your cold symptoms.

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tributes have been pouring in from leaders, heads of state since the news of mandela's death came yesterday. for many his life col provide important lessons for other leaders. the former israeli defense minister ehud barak is certainly reflecting on mandela's legacy. he's here with us right now. thank you, prime minister, defense minister for joining us. you had a chance to meet with nelson mandela when he came to israel. i want your thoughts right now. he didn't hide his criticism of israel. he thought you were making major mistakes as far as the palestinians were concerned. >> i was a young prime minister. he came, i hosted him in jerusalem. he was only there will physically, somewhat fragile but radiating with a spiritual energy and kind of a contagious optimism. of course, he tried to convince us that we should do more. >> he wanted to broaden the '67

lines, two states. >> he had very clear ideas. i tried to convince him it is much more narrow fixated kind of character, but he, you know, he supported the idea. he felt that there are certain similarities, however remote with that situation and tried very hard to convince us that nothing which seems now to be an obstacle should not be taken as a insurmountable because when there is a will, we can overcome everything. and i remember for me this kind of great humanity kind of moral -- >> did he impact your thinking? >> we were in a very kind of optimistic corner at the time. we tried our best.

he cannot tell us to do more. >> bill clinton was still president. you were in the midst of negotiations and you were close with arafat to getting a deal at that time. >> yeah, we were in a way close, but the gaps, you know, it cannot be measured only by the width but only by the depth. it was very wide but very deep. >> what did you think nelson mandela? >> one of the greatest statesman of the 20th century. left imprints on hundreds of millions and changed history as a result of being consistent, determined in a way a benign zealot. he was zealot for his case but a great kind of mind and open minded, could carry the burden of not just is on the to lead but also responsibility to be self-disciplined once he won. >> the secretary of state john kerry has been meeting with the

prime minister benjamin netanyahu in israel and he says that any son mandela should be sort of an indicator to the israelis, to the palestinians, in coming to an agreement, maybe he could influence you. are you any closer at all right now base on secretary kerry's involvement in trying to get an israeli, palestinian agreement? do you feel there is any progress happening? >> i think that penetrating the media with your permission, it's not easy for leaders from both sides to move forward because the moment they start to move forward, they risk their power base behind because the media penetrates and pushing everything to the surface long before they have an agreement or even know whether they will have one. so it makes it complicated for them. so i think that the determination of kerry to an extent what is called an obsession is something positive. both sides should hear from the world a clear signal that the

world is interested in finding a way without giving up our security issues, without giving up their hopes, the palestinian hopes to find a way to solve, to move forward into full agreement if it's possible into agreement with a clear destination for the future and clear economistment of both sides to the middle east. >> did president obama do the right thing by entering intoing this interim agreement with iran? >> if they will really transform the 00 kilograms backward, reprocessed into nondangerous materials and if they stop the activities in the heavy water reactor in iraq. so that's clear. but the very structure of two stages make it the burden of proof delayed for six months.

>> but it's worth a chance, right? it's better than going to war. >> i don't know. it's too early to pass judgment. the real challenge is that iran remains very close and they might try to manipulate the americans or the west of the p5-plus-1. >> what's the bottom line? did the president do the right thing? >> the president probably didn't have a choice but to negotiate with the iranians, but the real test will come. it's waiting for the rest of the world if iran is not blocked from turning into military nuclear power, we will all regret it because the consequences are far much more dangerous than those that might stem out even from a direct physical attack on the infrastructure if nothing else would work. i think what's missing from the picture right now is that iranians will hear beyond closed doors and a clear irrevocable

american message, we don't -- we are not going to humiliate you or embarrass you in public, but you have to understand we mean business. if you would prefer soviet negotiation but if you're compelled to, we will deal with it another way. >> the president says all options are on the table including the military option. he says will not get a nuclear bomb. >> believe me, wolf, i don't mean to discuss what's said in public. that's less important. what's really important is what the iranians will hear behind closed doors. if they won't hear the message i've just mentioned, no way that khomeini will give us his intention. >> are you suggesting what the president says publicly is not what they're saying privately to the iranians? >> no, i think there is a feed to tell them privately much more clear and blunt way what awaits this em if they will not do. in public, you have to respect

their interests, their internal struggling with their own extremes and so on. so you have to say things which show them being fully explicit. i think that we will a major test waits for us in the future. it might end up being a major mistaking if we won't end up in six months with an iranian nuclear military program being technically or physically meaningfully blocked. >> let's hope in six months there is an agreement and that it works out and that there's no military action needed. you're a general and you would prefer a peaceful solution. >> let's hope. >> you sound skeptical. >> i am skeptical because that's exactly what the north korean and the pakistanis have done. they waited until it will turned from being an issue of no to a nuclear military iran into no to

a nuclear military iran during certain term of certain presidents. >> ehud barak, thanks very much for coming in. >> manying up, a fierce ice storm hits about a dozen states and one major metropolis is brought to its knees. that story and more when we come back. [ lane ] are you growing old waiting for your wrinkle cream to work? neutrogena® rapid wrinkle repair has the fastest retinol formula. to visibly reduce fine lines and wrinkles in just one week. neutrogena®. i have a big meeting when we land, but i am so stuffed up, i can't rest. [ male announcer ] nyquil cold and flu liquid gels don't unstuff your nose. they don't? alka seltzer plus night fights your worst cold symptoms, plus has a decongestant. [ inhales deeply ] oh. what a relief it is.

the ice storm that's hitting much of the country has now turned deadly. one man in arkansas was killed by a falling tree and weather-related accidents have claimed two lives in oklahoma and one in texas. this is the scene in dallas right now. the city is buried a thick coat of ice. here's a look at the frozen

tower cam there. a huge city that's been paralyzed by a brutal storm. our alina mew chad doe is in dallas right now. are people staying off the streets? >> well, wolf, it appears people are staying home. this is downtown dallas. it would typically be packed with people. there would be a lot more traffic than you're seeing right now on the highway. as you can see, it's a bit of a ghosttown. even the sleet is gone for now, the freezing rain is gone, there is a very significant coating of ice all over dallas. this chair, for example, i want to show you has been here with me all morning. it is covered in ice. and just look at that. that's what we're talking about here, a lot of ice here in this part of texas. we have learned of one weather-related death. in who cannily county, this happened yesterday morning. and beak, authorities tell us an suv lost control of its -- a driver lost control of his suv,

slammed into another car and killed a passenger in that car. these roads are slick. they're going to be slick, wolf, for quite some time because the temperature feels like it's dropping >> so are there going to be a bunch of canceled events in dallas this weekend? >> we know of at least one. there was supposed to be tomorrow an annual and you holiday parade. this happens every year. it was supposed to be the 26th year. they've canceled that. we know the dallas marathon is on sunday. we still haven't heard what will happen with that. no doubt, people should be staying home because it is treacherous out here. the roads are slick. i'm not thinking it's going to get better for a while. >> alina machado in dallas where it's very close and icy. alina, thanks very much. the white house had said president obama had never met with an uncle caught up in a deportation case, but it turns out the president did meet briefly with an uncle, lived

with imhad when he was a young kid. find out how the press secretary at the white house is explaining this apparent contradiction. brian todd is standing by. stick with innovation. stick with power. stick with technology. get the new flexcare platinum from philips sonicare and save now. philips sonicare. #%tia[ life with crohn's disease ois a daily game of "what if's". what if my abdominal pain and cramps come back? what if the plane gets delayed?

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want to show you some live pictures coming in from south africa. clouds celebrating the life of nelson mandela. on the left, johannesburg, on the right, sowetta. they're celebrating and covering his great life. much more coming up here on cnn. but there's other news we're following including the white house is now trying to clarify apparently conflicting accounts of president obama's relationship with a kenyan uncle. the uncle has been at the center of a deportation case for years. initially, the administration said president obama never met with the uncle seen here during an unrelated court appearance. but now it turns out he briefly lived with the uncle many years ago. brian todd has been looking into the story for us. explain this contradiction.

what's going on. >> the contradiction is explained by the white house by saying there almost was no contradiction. when they said before there was no record of president obama meeting his uncle, that there really was no written record, not even in the president's book of him meeting his uncle, but not only did he meet him, but he stayed with him for a brief period of time in the '80s when the president's apartment was being readied for him in cambridge, massachusetts. the problem was in 2012, the white house said that the boston globe cited the white house as saying they had never met. now, this is what jay carney said yesterday about all this. >> when omar obama said the other day, and there were reports he had said the other day that president obama back when he was a law school student had stayed with him in cambridge, i thought it was the right thing to do to go ask him. nobody had asked him in the past, and the president said he

in fact had met omar obama when he moved to cambridge for law school, and he stayed with him for a brief period of time until his apartment was ready. >> so that's what jay carney says. the only real difference here was that he, jay carney, physically asked the president face-to-face, whether he met with the uncle, and that was the difference. the president said, yes, i met with him and stayed with him for three weeks. i spoke with the attorney for the uncle. the uncle's name is an youngo obama. but the uncle threw a congratulatory party for barack obama when he graduated from harvard law school. that's where they're trying to iron out some of the contradictions. >> the uncle came as a student to the united states. was about to be deported, but what, for 50 years, there was this case going on, and only in the last few days has he been told he can stay in the united states legally. >> he had ignored the immigration proceedings against him for decades. and after he was arrested on a

drunk driving charge in 2011, some of the deportation proceedings started. he was under pressure to be deported, but this week, a judge said it was okay for him to stay in the united states. so, really, it's what he said in court, in the court proceedings this week about president obama staying with him for three weeks. that's kind of why the white house felt to need to come out and clarify this. >> the uncle is going to stay in the united states. obviously, he's lived here for 50 years, but he's finally got legal status. >> he does. legal status, he's going to get a green card. >> do we know if there's a relationship at all between the uncle and the president? do they talk on the phone, have meetings? >> there seems to not be any relationship. jay carney said they fell out of touch and they haven't really spoken. the attorney didn't indicate one way or the other. she didn't really want to go there. there seems to be no contact between the two. >> maybe they'll reconnect now that he's allowed to stay. the courts have ruled he can stay in the united states. he's a legal resident. maybe they'll reunite.

>> hopefully. >> he was nice enough to let a young barack obama spend three weeks in his apartment. >> and threw a party for him, apparently. >> brian will continue working the story for us in "the situation room." another story we're following, getting word of a major deal in major league baseball. according to several reports right now, the free agent robinson cano and the seattle mariners have agreed on a ten-year, $240 million contract. $240 million. the deal came just hours after talks between cano, his representative, jay-z, and the mariners had reportedly broken down. according to sports illustrat illustrated.com, the yankees made him an offer of seven years, $170 million to stay in new york. not enough. that's it for me. i'll be back in "the situation room," 5:00 p.m. eastern. "newsroom" continues after a short break, with brooke baldwin. [ female announcer ] ts for financing my first car. thanks for giving me your smile. thanks for inspiring me.

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temperatures across the u.s. plunge as this monster ice storm puts millions at risk. i'm brooke baldwin. the news is now. as the world mourns an icon, washington didn't always see nelson mandela as a saint. america's unemployment rate drops, but will conservatives give